The present invention relates to protective covers for marine stern drive units or more particularly to shields suitable for protecting exposed marine engines from damage during shipment and storage.
It is known in the art to produce motorized pleasure boats which use drive arrangements known as inboard-outboard engines. According to this configuration, a fixed gasoline or diesel powered motor resides within the body or hull of a boat. Connected to the motor is a steerable drive arrangement which comprises a propeller and means to rotate the propeller. The drive arrangement resides principally outside of the body of the boat. This drive arrangement naturally forms a seal with the hull to prevent water from entering into the motor containing compartment. When a boat is shipped overland from one location to another or is stored for any considerable length of time, such as over a winter season, it is accepted practice to remove this outer body drive arrangement to prevent damage to it. The drive arrangement is typically fastened to the motor by means of a series of bolts. However, after the drive arrangement is removed, a cavity remains in the rear of the boat thus exposing the motor to the elements. Such exposure has been found to have a detrimental impact on the motor due to entry of contaminants such as dirt and the like.
It has been a practice in the art to merely cover this aperture with a plastic wrap or cardboard. These are disadvantageous since they form a very loose seal which is easily dislodged. Furthermore, they are frequently damaged by the various bolts and drive shafts which project outwardly from the motor inside the boat hull.
The present invention seeks to solve these disadvantages by providing a relatively firm stern drive protective cover which conforms with and complements the stern aperture, as well as motor members which project out of the boat hull through said aperture.
Marine covers and hatches are well known in the art. These are exemplified by the disclosures in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,853,131; 2,855,038; 2,753,827; 3,834,340; 989,702; 4,246,859; and 2,791,095. None of these, however, provide covers for marine motor units. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,845,839; 2,910,952; and 2,703,892 describe certain marine seals and deflectors, however, they do not come within the purview of the present invention.
Other advantages of the invention will be in part described and in part apparent upon a consideration of the detailed description which follows.